Below are quotations from the scriptures of Islam and eminent Islamic practitioners both past and present concerning the humane treatment of animals and adopting a vegetarian/vegan diet. This page is part of a section about animal rights and religious and philosophical belief, it is the forerunner of an in-depth article concerning Islam and animal rights which I hope to include here in due course. Also links to Islamic Vegetarian/vegan websites, online communities and articles of interest.

Muslims are not vegetarians or vegans, it is not a requirement of their religion but if a Muslim would prefer to adopt a vegetarian or vegan diet he or she is allowed to do so. And a significant number of Muslims are becoming vegetarian or vegan. Muslims recognise animal rights and there are many accounts in both the Qur’an and Hadith (sayings of the prophet Muhammad ) to support this as you can read below including many examples of the prophet's compassion towards animals and his admonishment of those who treated them in a cruel way. For example concerning compassion, It is said that the prophet once cut a portion of his cloak away so that he would not disturb a cat sleeping on the remaining cloth.

According to the Quran, the cat is the essence of purity.A cat hospital was Built in Bab-el Nasz and it was considered a blessing to bring food to the patients.It is unlawful to chase cats from Mosques

Extract from Faith ResourcesAlso there are many passages from from the Qur'an and Hadith recognising animal sentience such as this delightful quote below:

When you hear the crowing of cocks, ask for Allah's Blessings for (their crowing indicates that) they have seen an angel...The Prophet Muhammad:Hadith 4:522

Quotations here include passages from the Qur’an, Hadith and noteworthy Islamists past and present.

Firstly a brief look at Islamic sacred text:

The Qur’an

The Qur’an also sometimes transliterated as Quran, Qur'an and Koran literally “the recitation” is the central religious text of Islam. For Muslims it is the infallible word of Allah revealed to the prophet Mohammed by the Angel Gabriel over a period of approximately twenty-three years, beginning in 610 CE, when Mohammed was forty, and concluding in 632 CE, the year of his death. The Qur’an is a book of divine guidance and direction for mankind and the final revelation from Allah.

With the exception of the opening verses and a few passages where the prophet or the Angel Gabriel speaks in the first person, the speaker throughout is Allah.

HadithHadith are records of the narrations originating from the words and deeds of the prophet Muhammad and also accounts of his approval of things that were done or said in his presence. Although not considered as the spoken word of Allah like The Qur'an the Hadith are an important sacred text and are revered as a major source of religious law and moral guidance upon which every Muslim bases his or her faith

Animals are sentient beings

The Qur’an teaches that animals are sentient beings and that Allah created them to live in communities, in their own right, in societies as we do . The Qur’an says that all creatures are like a family of Allah and that He provided for them the means of communication, and that they also like ourselves live under his care and worship Him but in a way that is not directly explained.

There is not an animal that lives on the Earth, nor a being that flies on its wings, but forms part of communities like you. Nothing have we omitted from the Book, and they all shall be gathered to their Lord in the end.The Qur’an 6.38

All creatures are like a family (Ayal) of God: and he loves the most those who are the most beneficent to His family.The Prophet Muhammad: HadithThe following passages strongly suggest that animals have consciousness; they are not simply beings driven by instinct, but sentient beings capable of praising Allah

Seest thou not that it is Allah Whose praises are celebrated by all beings in the heavens and on earth, and by the birds with extended wings? Each one knows its prayer and psalm, And Allah is aware of what they do.

Yea, to Allah belongs the dominion of the heavens and the earth; and to Allah is the final goal (of all).The Qur’an 24:41 42

Allah cares for all his creatures:

There is not a creature on earth but God provides its sustenance.Quran 11:6

Within the tenets of Islam are found strong support and guidelines for the protection and compassionate treatment of animals. Here is an example emphasising the importance of treating animals in the same way as one would treat a human being:

A good deed done to an animal is as meritorious as a good deed done to a human being, while an act of cruelty to an animal is as bad as an act of cruelty to a human beingThe Prophet Muhammad: Hadith

That Allah rewards those who treat animals kindly is reflected in the following passages:

The Prophet said, "While a man was walking he felt thirsty and went down a well, and drank water from it. On coming out of it, he saw a dog panting and eating mud because of excessive thirst. The man said, 'This (dog) is suffering from the same problem as that of mine.' So, he (went down the well), filled his shoe with water, caught hold of it with his teeth and climbed up and watered the dog. Allah thanked him for his (good) deed and forgave him.'' The people asked ``O Allah's Apostle! Is there a reward for us in serving (the) animals?'' He replied: ``Yes, there is a reward for serving any animate (living being).''Narrated by Abu Huraira -- Volume 3, Book 40, Number 551

Whoever is kind to the creatures of God is kind to himself. The Prophet Muhammad : Hadith

He who takes pity even on a sparrow and spares its life, God will be merciful to him on the Day of Judgement.The Qur’anAllah condemns the mistreatment of animals

The Prophet Muhammad admonished against the beating or the branding of animals and said may Allah condemn the one who branded itwhen he saw a donkey branded on its face

The following passages emphasise compassion to animals and also their sentience in reference to the colony of ants' glorification of Allah.

The Prophet Muhammad tells of an incident that happened to another prophet in the past who having been stung by an ant ordered that the whole colony be burnt. Allah reprimanded him saying:

Because one ant stung you, you have burned a whole community which glorified Me. The Prophet Muhammad : Hadith

Do not allow your stomachs to become graveyardsProphet Muhammad, Hadith

Islamic Imans

Al-Hafiz BA Masri:

Al-Hafiz BA Masri was the first Sunni Imam, of the Shah Jehan mosque Woking,U.K. An imam is a leadership position, he is often the leader of a mosque and the community. Similar to spiritual leaders, the imam is the one who leads the prayer during Islamic gatherings. An Imam is a scholar who has studied the Koran and memorized it in its entirety. Al-Hafiz BA Masri is widely respected for the depth of his scholarship.

Below are extractions from his book "Animals in Islam" which examines the Islamic principles of kindness and compassion toward animals

Human/Animal Communication

"There are numerous legends about the Muslim saints and other holy men who could talk to animals. However, for lack of authentication, they are taken generally as mere fables. There is one statement in the Qur'an Majeed, though, which proves that man had acquired the lore of speech with animals as early as the time of King Solomon. Perhaps in those days human civilization was more in tune with nature than it is today. The Qur'anic verse runs like this: "And Solomon was David's heir, and he said: 'O ye people! We have been taught the speech of birds…" (Qur'an 27:16).

The Qur'an Majeed tells us that God actually communicates with animals, as the following verse shows: And your Lord revealed to the bee, saying: 'make hives in the mountains and in the trees, and in (human) habitations'. (Qur'an 16:68).

The Qur'an Majeed uses the same Arabic word "Wahi" for God's revelation to all His Prophets, including the Holy Prophet Muhammad(s), as it has been used in the case of the bee….it proves the basic fact that animals have a sufficient degree of psychic endowment to understand and follow God's messages - a faculty which is higher than instinct and intuition.

Factory Farming (See also the sections on Cruelty to Animals and Slaughter of Animals Used for Food and the restrictions thereon.)

Our Holy Prophet(s)'s overwhelming concern for animal rights and their general welfare would certainly have condemned (La'ana) those who practice such methods (factory farming), in the same way as he condemned similar other cruelties in his days. He would have declared that there is no grace or blessing (Brakah) - neither in the consumption of such food nor in the profits from such trades.

Vegetarianism

There is no suggestion in the Qur'an Majeed or in any other of the Islamic sources that eating meat is good for physical or spiritual health. Islam's approach in this matter is neutral; it has left the choice to the individual, but those who opt to eat meat are urged in the Qur'an Majeed to eat in moderation. (The Qur'an 7:31; 5:87 and other verses). Furthermore, there are elaborate and stringent laws governing the overall treatment of animals used for food - their rearing and breeding; the pre-slaughter; and handling during and after slaughter.

The Holy Prophet(s) has placed the killing of animals without a justifiable reason as one of the major sins:

Avoid ye the seven obnoxious things {deadly sins}: polytheism; magic; the killing breathing beings! Which God has forbidden except for rightful reason. (Narrated by Abu Huraira. Sahih Mulim - Kitab-ul-Imam (Ref. No. 46); Chapt. XXXIX, Vol.I; p. 52. Bukhari, 4:23. Also Awn, (Ref. No. 32); Hadith No. 2857.The Arabic word for 'breathing beings' is 'Nafs.' Until recently it used to be taken as meaning 'human beings' only. All the Arabic dictionaries give the meaning of 'Nafs' as 'Ruh' (soul), and since they are breathing creatures, there seems to be no reason why the Qur'anic verses No. 6:151, 152 and others should not comprehend all 'breathing beings', i.e. all species of animals. These verses should be read in conjunction with other verses of the Qur'an Majeed and numerous Ahadith which speak of the sanctity of life as a whole, declare animals as possessing soul (zi Ruhin) and place animals physically on a par with human beings.

The baneful {sinful} things are: polytheism; disobedience to parents; the killing of breathing beings without a valid reason. (id. Narrated by Abdullah Ibn 'Amr.)Cruelty to Animals

According to the spirit and overall teachings of Islam, causing unavoidable pain and suffering to the defenseless and innocent creatures of God is not justifiable under any circumstances. Islam wants us to think and act in the positive terms of accepting all species as communities like us in their own right and not to sit in judgement on them according to our human norms and values.

Prevention of physical cruelty is not enough; mental cruelty is equally important. In the following incident, a bird's emotional distress has been treated as seriously as a physical injury:

We were on a journey with the Apostle of God(s), and he left us for a while. During his absence, we saw a bird called hummara with its two young and took the young ones. The mother bird was circling above us in the air, beating its wings in grief, when the Prophet came back and said: 'who has hurt the FEELINGS of this bird by taking its young? Return them to her'. (Narrated by Abdul Rahman bin Abdullah bin Mas'ud. Muslim. Also Awn (Ref. No. 32) Hadith No. 2658. Also "Guillaume' (Ref. No. 57); p. 106).The Holy Prophet(s) has even tried the 'Punishment and Reward' approach in the following Ahadith:

The Islamic concern about cruelty to animals is so great that it has declared the infliction of any unnecessary and avoidable pain 'even to a sparrow or any creature smaller than that' as a sin for which the culprit would be answerable to God on the Day of Judgement.The Prophet(s) told his companions of a woman who would be sent to Hell for having locked up a cat; not feeding it, nor even releasing it so that it could feed herself." (Narrated by Abdullah bin 'Omar. Bukhari, 4:337; recorded in Riyad (Ref. No. 28), Hadith No. 1605; p. 271. Also Muslim, Vol. 4, Hadith No. 2242. English translation by Abdul Hamid Siddiqi; Sh. Muhammad Ashraf, Lahore, Pakistan; 1976; Vol. 4, Hadith No. 5570; p. 1215. (According to the English translation, this Hadith was also narrated by the Abu Huraira and by Naqi who had heard it from Abdullah); Hadith No. 5573; p. 1215.) This Hadith has been recorded by almost all the authentic books of hadith, as the Re. No. 53 will show)

Islam's concern for animals goes beyond the prevention of physical cruelty or even condescending kindness to them, which is a negative proposition. It enjoins on the human species, as the principal primates of animated world, to take over the responsibility of all creatures in the spirit of a positive philosophy of life and to be their active protectors.

The Prophet(s) was asked if acts of charity even to the animals were rewarded by God. He replied: 'yes, there is a reward for acts of charity to every beast alive.' (Narrated by Abu Huraira, Bukhari, 3:322. Also Muslim, Vol. 4; Hadith No. 2244. Also Awn (Ref. No. 32), 7:222, Hadith No. 2533. Also Mishkat al-masabih, Book 6; Chapter 6.

Mishkat Al-Masabih concluded from "Bukhari" and "Muslim" to the effect that: 'A good deed done to a beast is as good as doing good to a human being; while an act of cruelty to a beast is as bad as an act of cruelty to human beings' and that: 'Kindness to animals was promised by rewards in Life Hereafter.' (Mishkat al-Masabih; Book 6; Chapter 7, 8:178.) The Prophet(s) told his companions of a serf who was blessed by Allah for saving the life of a dog by giving it water to drink and quenching its thirst. (Narrated by Abu Huraira. Muslim, Vol. 4, Hadith No. 2244. Also Bukhari, 3:322. Also Awn (Ref. No. 32); Hadith No. 2533, and others). To catch birds and imprison them in cages without any special purpose is considered abominable.

No advantages and no urgency of human needs would justify the kind of calculated violence which is being done these days against animals, especially through international trade of livestock and meat. One of the sayings of the Holy Prophet Muhammad(s) tells us: "If you must kill, kill without torture." (La taqtolu bi'l-idha'i). While pronouncing this dictum, he did not name any animal as an exception - not even any noxious or venomous creature, such as scorpions and snakes.

Luckily, on this theme, we have quite a few of the Holy Prophet(s) sayings. During the pre-Islamic period, certain pagan superstitions and polytheistic practices involving acts of torture and general cruelties to animals used to be common in Arabia. All such practices were condemned and stopped by Islam. The following few sayings of the Holy Prophet(s) will serve as an example:

Jabir told that God's Messenger(s) forbade striking the face or branding on the face of animals…The same companion of the Holy Prophet(s) reported him as saying, when an ass which had been branded in its face passed him by: 'God curse the one who branded it.' (Narrated by Jabir bin Abdullah. Muslim, Vol.3, Hadith No. 2116. Also Awn al-Ma'bud Sharh Abu Dawud (hereafter referred to as Awn); 7:232, hadith No. 2547. Also The Lawful and Unlawful in Islam (in Arabic); Yusuf el-Kardawi; Mektebe Vahba, Cairo; 1977; p. 293. Also 'Robson' (Ref. No. 15); p. 872). This Hadith is concerned with causing pain to the animal on the sensitive parts of its body, as well as with the disfigurement of its appearance.When the Holy Prophet(s) migrated to Medina from Mecca in 622 A.C., people there used to cut off camels' humps and the fat tails of sheep. The Prophet(s) ordered this barbaric practice to be stopped. The temptation for the people to perform this sort of vivisection on the animals was that the juicy humps and fatty tails could be eaten while the animal remained alive for future use. To remove this avidity, he declared: "whatever is cut off an animal, while it is still alive, is carrion and is unlawful (Haram) to eat." (Narrated by Abu Waqid al-Laithi. Tirmidhi; Hadith No. 1480, Chapt. On Al-At'imah. Also 'Robson' (Ref. No. 15), p. 872).

To make sure that no injury was inflicted on the animal while there was even a flicker of life in it, it was forbidden by the Holy Prophet(s) to molest the carcass in any way, such as: by breaking its neck, skinning, or slicing off any of its parts, until the body is dead cold. One of his sayings on this theme is: "Do not deal hastily with a 'being' before it is stone dead." (Kitab al-Muqni, 3:542. Also Al-Muhalla, 7:457; Ibn Hazm). Hazrat 'Omar ibn al-Khattab used to instruct repeatedly: 'Give time to the slaughtered being' till it is dead cold. (Al-Muhalla, 7:457; Ibn Hazm. Hazrat 'Omar ibn al-Khattab was the second Caliph (634-644 A.C. = 12-22A.H.).

Many other Muslim authorities have also given juristic opinions (fatawa) to the effect that, after slaughter, time should be given for the rigor mortis to set in before cutting up the carcass. (Kitab al-Nil wa Shifa'al-Alil, 4:460).

Another malpractice in Arabia in those days, which caused pain and discomfort to the animals, was stopped by the Holy Prophet(s) in these words: "Do not store milk in the udders of animals…." (Muslim and Bukhari. Also Holy Traditions; 1st Edition; Vol. 1; Muhammad Manzur Ilahi; Ripon Press, Lahore, Paistan; 1932; p. 149).

Not only physical but also emotional care of animals was so much emphasized by the Holy Prophet(s) that he once reprimanded his wife, A'ishah, for treating a camel a bit offhandedly. Hazrat A'ishah herself narrates: "I was riding a restive camel and turned it rather roughly. The Prophet(s) said to me: 'it behooves you to treat the animals gently'. (Narrated by A'ishah. Muslim, Vol. 4, Hadith No. 2593. Also Awn, 7:155, Hadith No. 2461; (Ref. No. 32)).

The Holy Prophet(s) himself was once reprimanded by God for neglecting his horse, as the following Hadith tells us: "The Prophet(s) was seen wiping the face of his horse with his gown (jullabiyah). When asked why he was doing that, he replied: 'Last night I had a reprimand from Allah regarding my horse for having neglected him'. (Narrated by Yahya bin Said. "Malik bin Anas al-Asbhahi". Also Al-Muwatta, (in English); Divan Press, Norwich, England; 1982; p. 205.)

The following Hadith forbids the disfiguration of the body of an animal.

The Prophet(s) said: 'Do not clip the forelock of a horse, for a decency is attached to its forelock; nor its mane, for it protects it; nor its tail, for it is its fly-flap'. (Narrated by 'Utbah ibn Farqad Abu Abdillah al-Sulami. Abu Dawud. Also Awn, 7:216, 217, Hadith No. 2525 (Ref. No. 32)).

The incidents of the Holy Prophet Muhammad's(s) personal grooming of his horse; his wife A'isha's rough handling of her camel; the Holy Prophet's(s) prohibition of cutting forelocks, the mane or tail; the condemnation of striking and branding on the face or ears - all these and many other such Ahadith show that this great man, Muhammad(s) had realized even fourteen centuries ago that animals have a sense of adornment and sensitivity."The extracts above came from the following website:Islam - The Modern Religion where you can read more extracts from: Animals in Islam

Hediyah Al-Amin

Hediyah Al-Amin is a Muslim-American teacher of Islamic Studies and Islamic Culture at the Qatar Center for the Presentation of Islam.

The Love of Animals By Hediyah Al-Amin On a recent shopping trip, I happened to pass by a pet shop, where a big monkey in a small cage outside the entrance broke my heart. I gathered up the guts to enter the shop, only to leave in tears deeply saddened by what I had seen. Poor, helpless animals imprisoned in tiny cages without even enough space to turn around. Their sad, pleading eyes haunted me as I fought the urge to set them free. I wondered if the pet shop owner ever thought about what it would be like to be paralyzed, as he has incarcerated birds in little cages. And for what beneficial purpose? Weren’t birds meant to fly? Maybe only a fellow animal lover would really understand what I felt that day, yet the importance of kindness to animals is something every Muslim should understand as a part of his worldview. It is such a serious matter that in Islam, it is understood that one could gain Heaven or Hell due to one’s treatment of animals.

Mistreating animals is considered a sin in Islam. A Muslim is responsible for the care of animals so much so that an ill-treated animal will testify against the one who abused it on the Day of Judgment. Islam forbids branding animals and killing them in vain, such as for sport. The Prophet Muhammad forbade people to capture birds, burn anthills, and whip animals.

Islam and Animal WelfareNot too long ago, I had the privilege of talking to an eminent Islamic scholar, who wishes to remain unnamed. Our conversation covered a wide range of topics. The one closest to his heart, however, was the treatment of animalkind according to the tenets of Islam.

“Islam was one of the earliest faiths to care about the rights of animals,” he waxed eloquent. ‘In general, kindness to animals has been promised by reward in the life hereafter’. We find this sentiment in line 178 of verse 8, Chapter 7, Book 6 of the Mishkat-al-Masabih. This is the groundwork: it tells us what our attitude should be in general towards animalkind. Then we have more specific references. Consider this line from Abu Umama, Al Tabarani: ‘He who takes pity even on a sparrow and spares its life, Allah will be merciful to him on the Day of Judgement.’

“Yes, but Islam allows the killing of animals for food and for religious sacrifice,” I interposed. “If Islam cares so much about animal welfare, why does it allow meat-eating and slaughter?

A good point,” the scholar conceded good-humouredly instead of taking umbrage. “We have to remember that several customs and conventions prevalent in Arab lands may be pre-Islamic and thus without specific Islamic sanction. Furthermore, nearly 1500 years ago, what was Arabia? Mostly desert land, and war-torn at that. There were few peaceful and settled agricultural communities as we had in India, for instance. The nomadic tribes found food when they could - by hunting animals and eating them. That is no longer true, and Arab countries today are very modern in many ways. They have plenty of vegetarian food available, as with India. So there is absolutely no compulsion as such to eat meat. I can only hope that individual Muslims will voluntarily give up meat-eating because nowhere is it said that meat-eating is compulsory….”Extract from the Article which you may read furtherIslam and Animal Welfare

SufismSufism is generally considered as the inner, mystical dimension of Islam. A practitioner of this tradition is generally known as a Sufi. Another name used for the Sufi seeker is Dervish. Although relatively few in number Sufis have had an influence upon Islamic thought, history and literature example, well known Sufis are Rumi, Omar Khayyám and Al-Ghazali's.

Although Sufism is generally understood by scholars as an aspect of Islam many Muslims and non-Muslims believe that Sufism is outside the sphere of Islam.

Many Sufis are vegetarian, Sufis recognise the eternal soul in every living being and that all join in the praise of Allah. The Sufi considers the well-being of animals in their care and protection, giving aid whenever possible

Below is a delightful account excerpted from a story by Jelaluddin Rumi, 13th century Sufi mystic and poet.

A Sufi had been travelling and after he stopped at an Inn for the night, and had meditated for a while, he told the servant who took care of the animals to be sure that he mixed a lot of barley with the straw that was to be his donkey's supper. "And please make sure you wet the (uncooked) barley with warm water. He's an old donkey and has trouble chewing." Then the Sufi asked "Did you remove his saddle gently and put salve on the sore he has? Did you currycomb his back--he loves that." The instructions continued and the servant became annoyed. He ended the conversation with the claim that he had taken care of thousands of animals, with no complaints, and that everyone who stayed at the Inn was "treated as family." The Sufi went to sleep but had terrible nightmares about his donkey being attacked by wild beasts and falling, helplessly, into a ditch. And although the details of the dream were wrong, what it conveyed of danger to the donkey was true. "His donkey was being totally neglected, without care, food or water all night long." The caretaker had spent the whole night carousing with his friends. The moral of this story: "Do the careful, donkey-tending work yourself. Don't trust that to anyone else." The nightmares the Sufi had, testified to his doubts about the animals well-being but he was tired and it was late, so he slept. When your compassion and concern extends to another creature, do not trust its care to those who do not have the same concerns.

Muhammad Raheem Bawa Muhaiyaddeen was a saintly Tamil-speaking teacher and Sufi mystic from the island of Sri Lanka who first came to the United States on October 11, 1971 and established the Bawa Muhaiyaddeen Fellowship in Philadelphia. He appealed to Muslims to reflect on the meaning of slaughter:

When describing Islamic slaughter (qurban) in his Ninety Nine Beautiful Names of Allah, he said that the knife-bearer should “… look into the animal’s eyes, he has to watch the tears of the animal, and he has to watch the animal’s eyes until it dies – hopefully, his heart will change.”

An informative website concerning Islam and the compassionate treatment of animals

The beautiful religion of Islam has always viewed animals as a special part of God's creation. The Qur'an, the Hadith, and the history of Islamic civilization offer many examples of kindness, mercy, and compassion for animals.

Vegetarian Muslims need ways to network with each other; the Muslim Vegetarians list is that.

Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, salla alahi wa salam, reportedly said it is better to eat milk than to eat meat. But even if Prophet Muhammed was lactovegetarian, more and more Muslims are discovering veganism. Wherever vegetarian Muslims are on the spectrum, and regardless of the rationale, this is a good place to make friends and discuss common values, background, and outlooks.

I am not an animal expert of any kind just your average person who loves animals, all animals, and feels deeply about the plight of many of our fellow creatures. Neither am I a writer, or any other expert. Therefore please keep in mind that the information included in this website has been researched to the best of my ability and any misinformation is quite by accident but of course possible.